Based in New York, Criterion has released classic and contemporary films since 1984, giving each title a spine number and adding commentaries, essays and supplements. Many discs use new restorations it supervises, and 4K UHD releases began in November 2021. North American Blu-rays are Region A locked, with a smaller Region B UK line since 2016; Janus Films is a sister company, and Steven Rales has owned both since 2024.
Criterion
636 films on Best BluraysBest video release: 222 in 4K405 in HD9 in SD38 more for audio only19 more announced
Best 4K release by tier:
- Excellent141
- Solid55
- Superior Imports1
- Good Imports1
- Good in DV Only1
- Disappointing3
- Worse Than BD1
Films where Criterion's release is the pick. How picks are made
405 of 636 films match · Page 18 of 21
Films where Criterion's release is the pick. How picks are made
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Best English-Friendly & Video:
Criterion Blu-ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Best Audio:
Directors: Jacques Tati & Sophie Tatischeff
Best English-Friendly & Video:
Criterion Jacques Tati Boxset Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly & Video:
Criterion To Be or Not To Be Blu-ray extras
TV series
Director: Andrzej Wajda
Best English-Friendly & Video:
2021 Criterion Blu-ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Director: Max Ophüls
Best English-Friendly:
French version: Criterion Blu-ray
German version: Filmmuseum DVD
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · cinema-scope.com (opens in a new tab) · fredcamper.com (opens in a new tab) · +1 more
Best Video:
French version: 2020 Carlotta Blu-ray
German version: Filmmuseum DVD
Video Notes:
French version: Criterion Blu-ray (Carlotta has no English subtitles)
German version: Filmmuseum DVD
Additional Info:
Carlotta Films corrects the mistakes of Criterion due to the compression on dark scenes and gives the gorgeous transfer of the restoration a better encode/compression and more bitrate.
The German cut, titled Lola Montez, is considered by Ophüls scholars such as Jonathan Rosenbaum, Dan Sallitt and Tag Gallagher to be superior to the French cut. It has only been reissued on the Filmmuseum DVD.
Director: Leo McCarey
Best English-Friendly:
Criterion Blu-ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Director: John Huston
Best English-Friendly:
Criterion Blu-ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
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